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We analyze how reversals of several types of capital flows impact currency crises in emerging market and developing economies. Estimates of logit models show that reversals of (equity and debt) portfolio flows significantly increase the likelihood of currency crises in emerging market economies. In developing economies, reversals of portfolio debt flows and banking flows have a significant positive impact on currency crises. Finally, our results suggest that countries with mature financial systems and fixed exchange rate regimes are less likely to experience a currency crisis after a capital flow shock. The mediating role of capital account liberalization varies by country type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium hexaaluminate (CA6) based castables with low thermal conductivity and sufficient strength were conveniently prepared by foaming and incorporating alumina bubbles. The pores are derived from stabilizing the liquid foams by the surfactant (air‐entraining agent) and hollow structure of alumina bubbles. The thermal and physical properties of CA6 based castables depended on the approaches producing pores as well as their quantity, morphology, and distribution. CA6 based castables with the thermal conductivity of.384–.491 W/(m∙K) tested at 800°C and the cold crushing strength of 49.4–99.5 MPa after firing at 1 300°C, exhibited promising application prospects as insulation linings used for the skid post and beam in the reheating furnace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The present study was conducted to systematically evaluate the acute effect of morphine on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan‐Fang databases were searched for randomised controlled trials studying the influence of morphine on OSA published up to May 24, 2021. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess study quality and meta‐analysis was performed on the included clinical trial results to quantify the impact of morphine on various sleep and respiratory parameters. Three studies (n = 132 patients) were ultimately examined. There were no significant differences between patients with OSA taking morphine and placebo/non‐opioids with respect to the sleep Apnea–Hypopnea Index (mean difference [MD] 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.41, 5.98; p > 0.05); Oxygen Desaturation Index (MD 1.49, 95% CI −3.21, 6.19; p > 0.05); Obstructive Sleep Apnea Index (MD 0.83, 95% CI −2.08, 3.75; p > 0.05); Hypopnea Index (MD –0.01, 95% CI −2.64, 2.63; p > 0.05); lowest oxygen saturation (MD 0.68, 95% CI –4.50, 5.86; p > 0.05); or sleep oxygen saturation >90% (MD 0.10, 95% CI –1.14, 1.34; p > 0.05). In conclusion, a single dose of 30 or 40 mg morphine does not have a significant effect on sleep or respiratory outcomes compared to placebo in patients with OSA, challenging the orthodoxy that opioids worsen OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data about the sequelae of women who infected COVID‐19 while pregnant are scarce. We aimed to describe the prevalence of symptoms, pulmonary functions, and radiological changes at a follow‐up of 12 months in 18 pregnant women who developed COVID‐19 at different gestational ages. Our results showed that most women who infected COVID‐19 while pregnant experienced a progressive improvement of their symptoms within 12 months, however, some still had little COVID‐related symptoms but without a reduced quality of life. All their 18 newborns were growing up healthy. Highlights: Data about the sequelae of women who infected COVID‐19 while pregnant are scarce. We described the outcomes at 12 months after recovery in 18 pregnant women with COVID‐19. Some still had little COVID‐related symptoms but without a reduced quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the in‐plane shear deformation of unbalanced 3D interlock woven reinforcement (IWR) was investigated through experiments and finite element modeling. Five specimens with five layers warp (six layers weft) were designed and prepared. The warp is 792 tex carbon tows and weft is 396 tex carbon tows. This kind of reinforcement is unbalanced because that the linear density of warp is different from that of weft. The in‐plane shear deformation of unbalanced 3D IWR was tested by bias extension test. The bias extension process was simulated by finite element method from macro and meso scales. The results of simulation are basically consistent with experiments. The bias extension process can be divided into three stages: Meso scale deformation stage, multiscale deformation stage and Reinforcement failure stage. At meso scale deformation stage, the tensile load and shear angle are small when the displacement is less than 7.5 mm. There is no obvious change in the macro scale, while the weft slipping in the meso scale mainly occurs in area B. The deformation of B1 and B2 are asymmetric because the linear density of warp is different from that of weft. In the multiscale deformation stage, asymmetric deformation at the macro scale begins to appear when the displacement is between 7.5 mm and 20 mm. There is obvious in‐plane shear deformation in area C at the meso scale. In the reinforcement failure stage, A large number of weft yarns are pulled out from the reinforcement in area B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale field investigations of seven legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the surface seawater and atmosphere from East Asia to the high Arctic Ocean were completed in 2016 and 2017. Seawater OCP (Σ7OCPs) concentrations displayed rapid and significant seasonal variations during mid‐late summer. The ocean is the most significant atmospheric‐OCP source region for the Arctic, and feedback affects the middle‐ or low‐latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The legacy OCP concentrations in the Arctic Ocean were shown to gradually decrease with distance from water masses originating in the Bering Sea and the landmass of Alaska. This study is the first updated investigation of OCPs along the North Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean transect in the past decade. It provides updated field data on the global fate of OCPs in a region undergoing rapid climate change. Plain Language Summary: We investigated four hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and three dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) in the marine boundary and their fate corresponding to the geophysical climate change from East Asia to the high Arctic during two Arctic Research Expedition cruises. Levels of OCPs in the surface seawater between the forward and return voyages along the same transect indicated the rapid seasonal variation. The reducing DDT contamination and comparable HCH levels to the previous studies in the low‐latitude regions indicated the effective control measures in the past decades. However, the potential point source and agriculture activities still resulted in the high levels of DDTs in East Asia. Water mass from the Bering Sea significantly affected the levels of dissolved OCPs in the Arctic Ocean, while China, Japan, and East Russia were the crucial source regions for the atmospheric OCPs in East Asia. The Arctic Ocean becomes a significant source region, and possible feedback affects the low‐latitude regions in East Asia. Key Points: OCPs displayed a significant seasonal variation in the surface seawaterThe Arctic Ocean turns into a major source region for OCPs, and possible feedback affect the low‐latitude regions in the Northern HemisphereOceanic water mass and riverine input contributed significantly to the Arctic OCPs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term use of corticosteroids or local use of tazarotene (TAZ) alone for the treatment of psoriasis cause safety issues and low compliance rates. Combining these two may optimize their efficacy and minimize safety concerns. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of TAZ 0.05% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% (BM) for psoriasis vulgaris. A multicenter, randomized, single‐blinded, controlled phase 3 clinical trial was conducted. A total of 600 Chinese subjects with psoriasis vulgaris were randomized (3:1:1) to TAZ/BM cream, TAZ gel or BM cream groups for 6 weeks with an 8‐week follow up. The primary efficacy assessment end‐point was 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI‐75) at 6 weeks. Secondary outcome assessments included PASI‐90, percentage of PASI decrease and so forth. Safety and treatment‐related adverse events were monitored throughout the study. Our results demonstrated that the TAZ/BM group exhibited statistically significant superiority in PASI‐75 over TAZ (6.74% vs 1.67%) within 2 weeks. After 6 weeks of treatment, PASI‐75 was 44.94% in the TAZ/BM group while 19.17% and 35.00% in the TAZ and BM group, respectively. At the 8‐week follow up, the relapse rate of the TAZ/BM group was significantly lower than the BM group (10.62% vs 29.63%, P = 0.0269) though comparable with the TAZ group (10.00%). The most frequently reported treatment‐related adverse event was mild to moderate level of skin irritation events. TAZ/BM combination has significant advantages over TAZ, including satisfying efficacy, rapid onset and reduced local stimulation. Meanwhile, compared with BM, it has the advantages of longer relief time and reduced clinical relapse rate. The TAZ/BM combination drug provides psoriatic patients an alternative drug with high efficacy and low relapse rate and safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Phytoplasmas are insect‐transmitted phytopathogenic bacteria, which secrete effector proteins that are often responsible for altering the plant morphology and behaviours of their vectors. Phytoplasma multifunctional effector proteins TENGU and SAP11 induce typical witches' broom symptoms, but their mode of action remains unknown. Previously, we have identified a SAP11‐like effector from wheat blue dwarf phytoplasma, SWP1, which induces witches' broom symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana. In this study, we observed that SWP1‐expressing transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants showed typical witches' broom symptoms. On overexpression of SWP1 truncation mutants in N. benthamiana, we identified that the coiled‐coil domain and nuclear localization were responsible for the induction of witches' broom symptoms. In addition, using yeast two‐hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we demonstrated that SWP1 interacts with A. thaliana transcription factor TCP18 (BRC1), the key negative regulator of branching signals in various plant species. Moreover, in planta co‐expression analysis showed that SWP1 promotes the degradation of BRC1 via a proteasome system. These findings suggest that the phytoplasma effector SWP1 induces witches' broom symptoms through targeting of BRC1 and promoting its degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate combination in a non-alcoholic, lipophilic gel formulation (two-compound gel) has previously been demonstrated as a safe and effective treatment for scalp psoriasis in Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, and Black/African American populations. The purpose of this randomized, investigator-blinded, activecontrolled, 4-week study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the two-compound gel in Chinese subjects with scalp psoriasis. Method Subjects were randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio to four weeks of treatment with either the two-compound gel once daily or calcipotriol scalp solution twice daily. Subjects were evaluated after one, two, and four weeks of treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of subjects who achieved "controlled disease" defined as "clear" or "minimal" disease according to investigator's global assessment of disease severity at week 4. Results The proportion of subjects who achieved "controlled disease" at week 4 was statistically significantly higher in the two-compound gel group (87.5%) than in the calcipotriol solution group (50.8%), (P < 0.0001). Greater and more rapid improvements with the two-compound gel were also observed in clinical signs (redness, thickness, and scaliness) and itching. The two-compound gel was associated with fewer adverse drug reactions than calcipotriol scalp solution (18.6% vs. 33.1%) (P = 0.011). Conclusions The calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate gel applied once daily was significantly more effective and better tolerated than calcipotriol scalp solution applied twice daily in the treatment of scalp psoriasis over four weeks in Chinese subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates which factors determine whether sudden stops in international capital flows are followed by a currency crash using data for 85 economies in the period 1980-2012. An event study approach is used for an 11-year window around the crises for nine potential explanatory variables. In addition, the paper estimates discrete-choice panel models. The results suggest that low trade openness, shallow financial markets, and current account imbalances increase the likelihood that a sudden stop will be followed by a currency crash. Moreover, it is established that the impact of these factors differs across different exchange rate regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]